The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-23
A PAIE OF FUNNY TOADS.
Masqueredirs in Each Others CASTOR
Skins.

oIAll1S.
A dispatch from Harrisburg, Pa, to the
Nav York Times saws: mo one knows the
funny things toads will do, said the Hon
lanes A. Sweeney, a Luzerne county nat
urolist ard ex-member of the Pennsylvania
LEGISLATURE. Son a recent cloudy day, after
. hard in, there was cool breeze blow
mo was walking i'll a friends garden
nr9r Hazeton when | heard a peculiar
Fopnd Looking in tho direction from which
If came / saw two toads i'll an open space
in the garden One was quite
large. and the other was at least a third
smaller. They were both standing on their
hind feet, facing each other The large toad
had its fore 1eet over on each side of the
Iraller toad's shoulders; the small toad his
len, fore foot on the large ono's right leg.
As they stood i'll that way they uttered
strange cultural sounds, as if they were dis
Cus;ilg some subject among themselves.
Suddenly the small toad thrustS' its right
foot. or hand you might call it. against the
inrct, ones stomach, and the next instant
the latter threw the former to the ground
and n lively wrestle between them began.
During the struggle on the ground the
skins of both tOadS burst open on the back
and | supposed | was about to see tho inter
esting process of toads taking off their old
coats. rolling them up in little balls, and
swallowing them, as naturalsts say they do.
| did witness the process of shedding the
SKINS. but something much more singular
tEantho swallowing incident then occurred.
THE day was raw and windy, as | said and
inter tie toads had rubbed their skins in
romical way toward their heads until they
had both pulled themselves clear of them
each one began to SILVER very per-
ccptibly with the cold. Sud
denly the small toad hoped quickly TO
where the skin of the big one lay, and pick
Ing it up in his mouth hoped away several
feet The big toad followed tho pW:loiner
OF his cast off clothing with his eyes, and
gave two or three appealing croakS, but
Iuads no effort to recapture the stolen
goods When the small toad saw that he
was not followed he deliberately set to work
10 don the skin he had taken. 1t took him
some time to do it, but he finally accom-
plished his purpose and went incorporating
around in the misfit garment exactly like a
clown i'll a circus wearing the big baggy
costume some OF them appear in.
The little fellow seemed to enjoy the
novelty of the situation and hoped around
the large toad in what must have been a
most tantalizing manner. The big toad was
shivering like person chilled through, and
by and by picked up the skin of the small
one and began to force it on his body. The
process was q difficult one, but after several
minutes of unceasing effort he stood habili-
tated in the cast-Of garments Of his dimin-
utive companion. Ii the effect of the big
skin ON the little toad had been comical
that of the little skin on the big toad was
more so. The sleeves of the coat so to
speak, only came half way down the
arm, and the legs of the trousers
covered the toad's legs as though they..had
been knickerbockers. The body Of the gar
ment was so tight that the toad could not
work either his legs or his arms, and he
stood there the picture of comical despair.
By and by he began to swell himself up,
and that apparently stretched the skin, for
he was able afterward to move away slowly.
He followed the small toad into the bushes
ina dignifed manner and both disappeared.
What the outcome of this curious exchange
of clothing was | never knew, but the Incl
dent satisfied me that toads do funny things
sometimes y